Leaf and Dream
by Zarlune
Summary: Years ago Kakashi stumbled into the reclusive Country of Dreams, only to be held against his will. He escaped, with help, and now the Dream Ninjas are bringing more problems to the Leaf Village
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of it's characters.

Artist's Note: This is my first fanfic ever... well, the first that I'm going to put up to let anyone see at least. The characters are probably out of character, buuut, it's a work in progress and I'm enjoying myself, so I don't think anything else really matters. It's actually a sequel to another fanfic that I'm writing right now, but I'm finding it easier to write this one first. So the other one might never see the light of day.

* * *

"Kakashi, Tsunade would like to see you in her office, right away." Shizune looked visibly shaken as she stared up at the Copy Ninja, who was resting in one of the Cherry trees that grew by the memorial site.

Kakashi looked down at the woman. He had never seen her in such a state, not in all the time that Tsunade had been Hokage. Putting away the adult novel he was reading, the ninja leapt out of the tree. "Must be important if she sent you for me." Kakashi half-joked, trying to get any sort of idea of what exactly had Shizune so worked up.

"I don't know. A letter arrived, the messenger said that it came from the Yumekage of the Country of Dreams..." She stopped as she saw the troubled look in Kakashi's one visible eye.

"Damn." He cursed, and without another word, the ninja disappeared, running towards the medical center, leaving Shizune looking at him quizzedly.

Kakashi didn't even try to keep up his usual stoic demeanor as he raced towards the medic building, his mind shadowed by thoughts of the Country of Dreams. The Country of Dreams was an unknown country that set up its borders over 70 years earlier. They closed themselves off from the rest of the five countries and lived in secret, hiding away from the world. Kakashi was one of the only ninjas who have entered the Country of Dreams and left alive, and that was only because he had help.

The thought of the dark haired, blue eyed ninja who had helped him escape, at risk of her own exile and death made Kakashi's movements slow, if only slightly. Ari was her name, and she had risked everything in order to help Kakashi return to the Leaf Village. To him, she was another of his companions who've died in the line of duty. Only her name would not be put on any memorial. She most likely died a traitor and her name unspoken throughout history.

_Perhaps... just perhaps... she's not dead._ The thought stopped Kakashi in his tracks in front of the building in which the Hokage spent most of her time. There was no hope of that. Kakashi himself saw her collapse after being surrounded and attacked by the rest of the Country of Dreams' ANBU ninjas. It was only the fact that she was deliberately holding them off so that he could get away without being detected, that kept him from going back to help her.

A sadness overtook his heart. He'd not thought of the Dream ANBU in over ten years, but soon after he returned, he had resigned from the ANBU team and had instead joined the ranks of Jounin and spent his time running missions and training Genin. Taking a deep breath, the Copy Ninja wiped all traces of emotion from his masked face and walked into the medic center.

The medical building was quiet, and even so, there was a sense of excitement and wonder filling the air. Kakashi could feel the emotions as they pressed against his skin and saw the people glance at him out of the corner of their eyes. Ignoring them, he made his way to Tsunade's office. Knocking once, he let himself in, slouching against the wall automatically.

"Oh good, Kakashi. You're here. Now maybe you can tell me what the hell this is all about!" Tsunade was shaken as much, if not more than Shizune was. In one hand she waved a rolled up piece of paper, the letter she had received, and in the other, was a cup of sake.

"I don't know Tsunade. I was kind of hoping you'd explain it to me." He drawled out the words a little, trying to tease the woman a little.

"Let me try to help you out Kakashi." She cleared her throat, set down the sake and read from the letter, "Hokage - Greetings. I wish to inform you that the Hidden Villages of Illusion and Moon will be participating in this year's Chuunin exam. I, myself, will be bringing two teams of Genin, along with their teachers. I look forward to strengthening ties of peace and friendship with Konoha and their Hokage." She glanced over at Kakashi in order to make sure that she had his full attention. "It was signed by the Yumekage of the Country of Dreams. Oh, and do you know what it says in the post script? P.S. Please give my fondest regards to Hakate Kakashi. I look forward to seeing him again."

Kakashi stood stunned for a moment before walking over to Tsunade, pulling the letter out of her hands and reading it over himself. "It's impossible.."

Tsunade watched the silver haired ninja closely. His confusion and worry encompassed even hers. She just didn't like the idea of having things dropped into her lap like this, with no idea where they came from. "Kakashi." She said, a softer tone on her face now that she realized exactly how bad this affected him, she hadn't seen him this upset since the days when he was training under the 4th. "Kakashi, I need to know everything you can tell me about the Country of Dreams, and why no one I've spoken to have ever heard about it, and, last but not least, why the Yumekage mentions you by name. This is vitally important... I don't want another Sand Village on our hands, or another Stone."

"I wandered into Dream territory. They have cut themselves off from the outside, and sometime after the creation of the country, they changed as many maps as they could get hold of, turning their land into an inlet. We had planned on having a boat waiting at a rendezvous point in that inlet in case the mission went wrong. It did and I was perused into Dream territory, where the boat was supposed to have been. I was... rescued... by a Dream ninja and healed. Only to find myself held against my will.

"The rule was no one was allowed in, and if they did make it in, they were not allowed out alive. The ninja who found me helped me escape and allowed me to return with the intelligence, allowing me to complete the mission, under the condition that I did not speak of the Country of Dreams."

Tsunade filled her cup up with sake again and sipped it. "If they're as aloof as you say, then why would they send notice that they're coming to the exams? Could this be a trap?" The memories of the last war with Sand, only a few years ago made this an uncomfortable question for both of them, but a necessary one.

"I don't know. Ari mentioned that there were some people who felt that the Country of Dreams would benefit from contact with the other Countries, at least then there'd be more money. I lost all contact with that place years ago."

Tsunade pondered his words, staring down at the letter again without seeing it. "So either this is a trap and we're setting ourselves up for another situation like Sand, or it's not a trap and Country of Dream's intentions are peaceful. We cannot insult a possible ally. I guess this means that we will have to welcome them. But we can prepare and watch." Setting down her empty sake cup Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, nodded to Kakashi. "Thank you Kakashi. Now I have to write them a reply."

Without another word, Tsunade sat down at her desk and began writing. Kakashi let himself out.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of it's characters.

* * *

Arianna waited just within Dream Country's borders. She was curled up in a tree, high enough to have a good view of her surroundings. Today she wasn't an ANBU ninja, today she was just relaxing and enjoying the sound and feel of the breeze through the trees. Closing her deep blue eyes, she allowed the tension to fade away from her limbs. This was where she spent most of her free times, had spent it since she had helped that Leaf ninja escape. Hakate Kakashi... Leaf's Copy Ninja. 

She had found him lifetime's ago. He was unconscious, wounded, and being chased by three ninjas from the village of Stone. She had killed the other ninjas and nursed Kakashi back to health, believing that he was another renegade from the outside and that he was seeking sanctuary. That turned out not to be the case, but by the time she realized the truth, it didn't matter. They had plotted his escape, their escape really, but when the time came she had to let him go alone. Yumekage had found out about their plans and sent all of the country's ANBU after them. She had used every trick in her arsenal, as well as some of them that Kakashi had taught her in order to keep them occupied enough for Kakashi to escape.

Running her hand absently over one of the scars on her collarbone, Ari tried to pull her mind away from the thoughts of the past, unable to repress the vivid memories once they were called up. She had been taken, alive, by Yumekage's orders, and paraded down the street, stripped of her ninja gear and honor. Pelted by rotten vegetables and called a traitor and worse, she had stood trial and was sentenced to death. Only, instead of dying the next sunset, she was let free. There was a coup d'etat and the woman who had controlled the country by preying on the people's fear of the outside world was finally laid to rest. Shina, one of the wisest women that Ari knew had taken over the country and had restored her good name. It was Shina who had decided that it was finally time for the Country of Dream to stop hiding, and she was the one to send the letter to the Hokage, stating the intent of the young ninjas of the two Hidden Villages to join those others in the tests to become a Chuunin. Closing her eyes, the woman leaned back against the tree, falling into a light doze.

"I should have known I would have found you here." Came a familiar voice from below.

Startled, Ari fought to keep her balance on the tree branch, looking down at the old woman who stood at the base of the tree. "Yumekage." she said, "You scared me."

Shina pretended not to hear her, "This is where you found that young man, isn't it? The one from Leaf Village? It's too bad that he couldn't stay, but he wasn't happy here. He was a nice young man, wasn't he?"

Ari smiled, "Okay Shina, you can stop with the act." The older woman had been friends with the ANBU ninja for years, and she tended to let others think of her as a doddering old woman. It allowed them to underestimate her, a dangerous mistake.

The Yumekage smiled up at Ari, who slithered down to the ground, "We have a reply to our letter. Hokage sends her regards and says she looks forwards to our appearance."

"And of Hakate Kakashi...?"

"He sends his regards as well."

Ari let out the breath she was holding. "I was afraid that he forgot about us."

"Might have been better if he had." Shina was staring out through the forest, her eyes dark.

"Why do you say that?" Ari turned her gaze towards the Yumekage. Shina was getting old, they all knew it. And they knew that she was preparing Ari to take her place as leader of the Country of Dreams. "Shina, what do you see?"

The Yumekage was once known as a soothsayer. She predicted many of the events that had come upon them, and it was because of this soothsaying ability that she had to flee with the others who had worked hard to create the refuge. She was one of the original ninjas entrusted with the job of changing the maps and hiding the country from the rest of the world. "There's a dark cloud coming. An end to an age."

"Of course there's an end to an age." Ari stretched and began walking back towards the village. "We're ending an age of fear and insecurity. We're ending an age of poverty and hopefully we'll get enough contracts to get a good hospital, and maybe we'll be able to barter with the Hokage to get her to train some of our ninjas into medic nin. We're turning this place into what the First wanted it to be. A safe haven."

The two of them walked back to the village in a comfortable silence. There were preparations to make in anticipation of the journey to the Leaf Village.

- - - - - - - - - -

The next morning the six Genin of the Country of Dreams, along with their Jounin team leaders, the Yumekage, and six ANBU started out on the journey to the Leaf Village. This was the first time that any of them had been further than three hours away from the village, with exception of the Yumekage, and the excitement was infectious.

Ari tried to keep an eye on all of the ninja, but soon gave up when she realized it was a hopeless cause. Trying to look dignified, she kept pace with the Yumekage, who walked happily on the forest floor. A flash of white was seen overhead and Ari watched as first one ANBU and then another jumped over the overgrown path, moving in their various patterns to make sure that no one was around. It was going to be a long trip.

The trip took a week, and by the end of it, even the most enthusiastic of the Genin were ready to finally make it to a comfortable bed. Ari was slightly embarrassed by their loud proclamations to that effect, but Shina reminded her that they were not used to actually being on the road and away from the villages. But this was one of those things that their coming to Konoha was going to change. Before long they would have ninjas all over the place, she would see to it.

Arianna stood silent, looking at the gate of the Leaf Village for the first time in her life, even though she dreamt about it almost nightly since he'd left. Yumekage pulled down her cone shaped hat, letting the darkness under it shadow her face. At her command, all the ANBU pulled their masks over their face. This was the first time that anyone had seen Dream Ninjas outside of their village and there was no second impression.

Pulling her dragon mask over her face, she looked at the others. For the first time since they set out, all of the ninja were silent. The Jounin had their Genin teams behind them, the young faces peering out at the impressive gates. Yumekage smiled at her ninja "No matter what happens from here. I am proud of all of you. By setting out, far from the home that is all that you know, you have proved yourself strong and Dream Country benefits merely from your presence. Now come, we will prove to all that Dream Country is not to be dismissed." The Yumekage nodded to Ari who moved to take up the front of the precession, a gryphen masked ANBU at her side. With the Yumekage following, Ari walked proudly to the Leaf Village's gate, her heart beating quickly in her chest. _At last. I'm home._


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto. Sadness.

* * *

The previous week passed quickly for the silver-haired ninja. After getting over the initial shock, he had accepted the fact that he would once again see the Dream Ninjas, whom he had thought he had been rid of forever. This was why when it was heard that the Yumekage and her escort was at the gate, Kakashi walked down to take his place in the welcoming committee with his usual slouching gait. He was late, like normal, but not horribly so, so when he took his place next to Gai, the Yumekage had not even made it through the gate yet.

"It's my Eternal Rival. What's the matter Kakashi? You don't look happy to be here. Are you not excited and curious as to what kind of beauty this Yumekage may possess? Do you not want to be able to sing praises to her hair? Or the youthful beauty of her eyes?" The green clad ninja looked as though he was about ready to go into another one of his tirades.

Shaking his head, Kakashi slid his hands into his pockets, rocking back slightly on his heels, "I've already seen her, Gai. I'd rather be home right now." Truthfully, he'd rather be anywhere. The question as to why the Yumekage had revealed the secret that she would have killed to protect irritated him. There was no answer that the ninja could think of.

"Then I will go where you failed! I will look upon this Yumekage and sing her praises!" Gai launched into a list of the praises that he would heap on the Yumekage, stopping only when the gate began to open.

Arianna stepped through the gate, her blue eyes scrutinizing the many ninjas who have gathered to meet her party. Stepping into the open space in the middle of the yard, she noticed first the Hokage, dressed in her red and white. Bowing slightly to the figure, Ari took another few steps in and moved to the left, while at the same time Yuriko shifted his position to the right, allowing the waiting ninjas their first look at the Yumekage.

Yumekage wore robes of the country's colors; off white and a light blue. She was shorter than Kakashi remembered and when she lifted her head to look about her, he couldn't find the cold hardness that he remembered in her eyes. The rest of the ninjas filed in, two teams of Genin, hoping to make the Chuunin exam, their eyes wide with excitement and awe. Kakashi didn't recognize any of them. Truthfully he didn't see anyone he recognized from his experience in their country. Then again, their ANBU still had their masks on. The dragon masked ninja turned her gaze to him and for a moment he thought he recognized the crystal blue eyes that stared into his one ink black one, but if there was any recognization on her part, he couldn't tell.

"Greetings and welcome, Yumekage and ninja of the Dream country, to Konoha." The Hokage's voice rang out in the silence as she bowed to the Yumekage.

"We thank you for your hospitality, Hokage, and wish your village nothing but peace and prosperity." Yumekage returned the bow and it seemed that all the ANBU (six in all) from the Dream village relaxed visibly.

Something was different. Kakashi couldn't exactly place the voice but it wasn't what he expected. There was a feeling of warmth, and of respect that would have been out of place with the Yumekage that he knew and remembered. But the memory has a way of changing with time. Kakashi pushed off the worry and continued to stand around, trying not to look too bored while pleasantries were exchanged.

Finally, after what felt like forever, the Dream Ninja were taken to the homes that the Leaf Village set aside for them, all except for the Yumekage and two of her ANBU, the dragon and gryphen masked ones. Everyone disappeared in ones and twos, and just as Kakashi was getting ready to go back to his newest hentai book, the Hokage stopped him. "Kakashi. Will you join us?"

He wanted to say no. He wanted more than anything to say no, to beg off and go home, but the dragon masked ninja spoke with a voice that had thought he would never hear before, "Yes Kakashi. Join us, please."

There was nothing left for him to do but to follow the two Kage and the two ANBU into Tsunade's private rooms, where Shizune poured them all sake. Once the five of them were seated, the Yumekage pulled off her cone-shaped hat, revealing an older, kinder looking woman than Kakashi had expected.

Taking her cue, the ANBU removed their masks as well. Yuriko was a young, blonde haired man with green eyes and a wide grin that made Kakashi think of Naruto, but it was the other ANBU that caught his attention.

Her hair was black as night, feathered around her tanned face. Crystal blue eyes stared out of a battle worn, but still pretty face, one that was in the middle of a laughing fit at the look of shock that he knew he must have had on his face.

"Lady Hokage, I think our Copy Ninja needs a drink." Ari said, stiffling her giggles and accepting a cup of sake from Shizune. Kakashi took his own drink in hand, but didn't even attempt to bring it up to his face. "You look like you've just seen the dead rise, Kakashi. Are you alright? You need Shina to give you some of her tea, or read your bones?" The blue eyed ninja was teasing him, making Kakashi shake his head and force himself to relax.

Both Shina and Tsunade were watching the banter with interest. Kakashi was notorious for not revealing anything about his personal or private life, and nothing that he had said to Tsunade had hinted at what she was seeing now. "You two know each other?" The blonde drank her sake, seemingly comfortable in the homey room in which they sat.

It was Ari who spoke, "Yeah. He stumbled onto one of my rounds and I saved him from a pack of Stone Ninjas and then smuggled him out of Dream Country. He owes me, big."

Kakashi said nothing to this, even as Tsunade laughed and began talking to Shina about the difficulties of being a female leader and of their pasts as ninjas. Silently, Arianna moved to sit next to Kakashi, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye as she sipped her sake. "Been a while." She said, conversationally.

He didn't answer, couldn't figure out what to say.

Ari finished her sake with one drink and watched Kakashi's face out of the corner of her eye. There was an oddness, a strangeness between them that wasn't there before. "I'm glad that you got home safely to complete your mission."

"I thought you were dead."

"Nah, you should have known it would have taken more than that to kill me. Especially after I spent a month learning under the notorious Copy Ninja. I was taken alive and tried as a traitor. The night before I was to be executed, Shina and the others made a coup on the Yumekage. Shina took over and pardoned me, and here I am." She toyed with her cup, watching the two Kage, who seemed to be getting along fine. Yuriko was sitting in the corner, watching and talking to Shizune as she refilled his cup again. "I kept track of you through the bingo books. You have quite a reputation now. A far cry from the scrawny boy I dragged through the underbrush."

Kakashi's lips twisted into a wry grin under his mask and he shook his head. "Still rubbing that in. I thought I was saved only to die by Shina's herbal remedies. You haven't told me why you've decided to finally leave your country."

Arianna opened her mouth to answer but Shina was already answering that question, posed by Tsunade.

"Hokage, I will not lie to you. The villages of Moon and Illusion are poor and the lands surrounding them, poorer still. We make everything that we needed in the past but now it's not enough. The coup cost us more than some would want to admit. On top of this, we have no trained medic nin. If we make a good enough show during the exam, then we will get the contracts and the money that we need. And I hope a bond of friendship will help us with the second of our problems. With me now I have three nins with both the raw ability and the drive to become medic nins, and I suspect there's more back at the villages who have the patience to learn such a powerful calling."

The Hokage said nothing at first, but seemed to be lost in thought. Finally after a long moment, she spoke, "Why Leaf village? If you have no loyalties to any country but your own, why come to Leaf?"

"I have been loyal to Leaf as well as my homes of Moon and Illusion for nearly ten years." Ari cut in, her voice soft. "And Shina - Yumekage - has had visions in which our countries have both grown and prospered due to our friendship." There was nothing to say to this. It was the simple truth, on both counts.

Shina stood slowly. "It has been a long trip and I am not as young as I used to be. I bid you fare well and thank you again for your hospitality. I look forward to more talks like this in the future." At her words Yuriko and Ari both stood in unison and bowed towards Tsunade before following their kage out of the door.

"Well..." Tsunade drawled, "That was interesting." She looked at Kakashi, who just shrugged lazily.

* * *

The three Dream ninjas walked to Shina's room. Ari stepped in first and looked around. Seeing only their ANBU, she stepped aside to let the Yumekage in. Shina threw off her cone shaped hat as soon as she entered, letting the blue and white piece of clothing land across the room. 

"Yumekage. Shina." The ninja on the bed started, his black eyes angry. "You shouldn't have gone to meet the Hokage without more of an escort. What if something would have happened to you?" 

"Kanaye, calm yourself. I had Ari and Yuriko with me, there was no danger."

"And they had Copy Ninja Kakashi. You should have brought Jiro and myself." 

"We are here on a mission of peace, Kanaye. I will not have that jeopardized. If I cannot be safe in the rooms of my friends and brethren, in the company of two of my most loved children, then there is no safe haven for me." 

The intense man said nothing more, but stood, sliding on his falcon mask, and stepping out of the doorway, shutting it behind him. They could all hear him lean up against the outside of the doorframe, keeping watch on the entrance to the Yumekage's apartment.

Shina sighed, collapsing into the comfortable chair that Jiro had motioned her to. The young man watched the door and then leaned down to pat Shina's hand, "Forgive him, Yumekage. He just is worried about you. None of us want to see anything happen to our Yumekage." Jiro was the younger of the two brothers, and where Kanaye had the hard, sharp features of their father, along with the serious demeanor and lack of sense of humor, Jiro had inherited most of his traits from their mother. The brown haired ninja fussed over Shina absent-mindedly, reminding her of a mother hen over her chick. 

"I know Jiro. And I will apologize to him later for not taking him with me. But we cannot act like we're expecting a war here. We need Leaf Village's help. Kanaye knows that as well as any of us."

"Forgive me, Yumekage, but should we not be expecting a war? Just before we left, didn't scouts see Marisu and others gather under the sign of the 2nd Yamekage?"

Shina was troubled but tried not to show it, "There has been people meeting under that sign for ten years, Jiro."

"But not in these numbers. If Marisu has as many followers as we believe she does, there could be another Civil War."

"All the more reason to enlist help from Leaf Village, and to not alienate possible allies." The old woman closed her eyes, weariness seeping into her bones. "We will talk about this tomorrow. Is everyone settled in?" 

"Yes Yumekage. The Genin and their team leaders are all resting in the rooms provided to them, and the rest of our ANBU team's there as well."

"Very good. It's been a long day for us all. It's time to turn in, we have a long day ahead of us." 

"And Kanaye?" 

"Let him keep watch if it makes him feel better. Perhaps a sleepless night will help him remember why I am the Yumekage." Yuriko and Jiro left the room, and as Ari turned to follow, Shina stopped her. "You are leaving too, Ari?"

"I'm not tired. I want to have a look around." 

Shina smiled a little and nodded, "Do not be out too late. I want you to help Chiko with his Genjutsu tomorrow morning. That would allow Teijo to focus more on the other two members of his team." 

"All right." Ari smiled and then left the room, nodding to Kanaye on her way out. She would stop at her room to change, and then explore the town. There were many hours left till dawn.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Ari and the Dream Nins are mine though. I'd much rather have Kakashi.

* * *

Arianna left the Yumekage's room and walked down the corridor to her room. One of the other Dream Ninjas brought her things into the small sleeping room and she reminded herself to thank whomever it was. Sliding out of her vest and the brown and blue skintight suit that she had worn on the journey, Ari made her way to the shower in the adjourning bathroom. Letting the hot water flow down her naked body, she closed her eyes, leaning against the wall of the small shower stall. The stall, and eventually, the room, steamed up as mist hung heavily in the air. Raising her arms, the girl ran her hands through her long black hair, humming a nameless tune to herself. 

The door to the bathroom opened and Ari spun, just barely managing to keep her balance on the wet tile. Through the steam and the curtain to the stall, she saw a brown and blue uniform, identical to the one that she left on the floor in her room, and vividly blond hair. "Yuriko?" She asked, easing herself out of the defensive stance that her body had put her in instinctively.

"Who else?" The blonde ninja tossed a bottle of Ari's favorite sweet-smelling shampoo over the top of the curtain, and Ari caught it in one hand.

Smiling, the woman set it on the shelf that was intended for this purpose. She didn't even bother covering herself up behind the curtain. Yuriko and her have been lovers in the past, and even now, after they had decided (mutually) to break it off, there was still comfort in each other's presence. "Thanks. I forgot that."

"Bet you forgot the soap too." Yuriko grinned and waved up a lavender colored bar of soap over the top of the curtain. As Ari jumped up to grab it, he rubbed it in her hair, letting go of the flowery smelling bar.

"'EY!" Rubbing her head, Ari grabbed the soap and quickly washed her body and hair, trying her best to ignore the blond haired man who had made himself comfortable by sitting on the counter with the sink.

"Arianna...?" Yuriko was bothered by something. When Ari didn't answer, he continued, "Do you think Marisu's really gathering up people for another war?"

Ari shut off the water and reached over the top of the curtain, groping for a towel, which Yuriko put into her hands. Drying off her body and wringing her hair, the ninja answered, "Wouldn't surprise me."

"Aren't you worried?" It seemed that her nonchalant response confused him. Ari could hear the faint hints of worry and even fear in his voice.

"Nah." She wrapped the large towel over her body and stepped out of the shower stall, moving past the male ninja and into the bedroom, shutting the door between them so she could get dressed. "Even if she is, there's nothing that we can do about it, short of a preemptive attack, and Yumekage would never allow that. As much as we all would hate to admit it, we're powerless. All we can do is hope that coming here solves our problems and that Chiko and the others kick some ass during the exams." As she was talking, she had finished dressing. When she threw open the bathroom door, Ari was wearing a pair of tight black pants and a shirt that seemed to be nothing more than a bunch of strips of cloth in all shades of blue, draped around her body and connected with strategically placed pins. What appeared to be silver thread lined each strip of cloth, making the whole shirt sparkle.

Yuriko took one look at the shirt and laughed, dodging out of the way as Ari moved to hit him with her brush. "All those tough words, and yet you wear that shirt."

"I feel more comfortable like this." Ari had long ago developed the talent of cloth manipulation. It was one of the more obscure bloodline talents and jutsus that had come out of the Dream Country and it allowed the ninja to control cloth as though it was an extension of her own body with nothing but her thoughts and a bit of chakra. The silver "threads" were actually thin, razor sharp blades that were sown into the edges of each of the cloth strips, making them into deadly weapons. "Besides, at least then I don't have to worry about being taken by surprise." Pulling her hair back from her face, the ninja tied on her forehead protector. Rubbing a mark off the crescent horns on the face plate, Ari turned towards Yuriko. "Well, how do I look?"

"Absolutely stunning. Going to paint the town red?"

"Something like that."

* * *

She left the blond haired ninja in her room. He would find his own way out, eventually. Their relationship was always something for everyone in the villages to talk about. She had known Yuriko for all of her life, and she had loved him for that long. It took a stranger's arrival for her to realize that her love for Yuriko was more of that for a brother. Luckily he had felt the same. They were closer than ever before, and if the smiling ninja had regret the way things have turned out, he had never mentioned it. 

Pushing these thoughts out of her head, she stepped out onto the streets of Konoha. It was raining, the slightest drizzle of mist, just enough moisture to kiss her skin and to make it glow. Unabashedly, the Dream ninja stared as she made her way down the street. Such wealth... there were lights in every window, and lanterns that let up the streets. A bunch of laughter caught her attention and she found herself watching as a loud blond haired ninja treat his quiet girlfriend to dinner at a ramen shop. His voice could be heard over the quiet street, and the sound of his laughter brought a smile to her face. Forcing her feet to move again, Ari continued down the cobbled stone streets.

Arianna walked the streets aimlessly for nearly an hour, just allowing herself to absorb the complexity of having her waking dreams come true. She was finally seeing the world, finally doing something that she wanted to do, finally just... being. Laughter and light called to her again and she found herself standing in front of the town's bar. Even standing outside, she could hear the patrons as they laughed, talked, and flirted. Without a second thought, the ninja pushed open the door and stepped in.

As the Dream ninja stepped into the bar she was met with a sudden silence. Looking around the common room of the bar, she saw that the customers were nearly exclusively ninja. Fighting the urge to step back away from all the curious eyes, Arianna lifted her chin slightly and walked into the bar, all too aware of the stares at the crescent moon on her headband. She was ready to try to find an empty table in this packed space when she heard a familiar voice call out her name. "Yo, Ari."

Turning towards the bar, she saw Kakashi. He lifted his beer to her in a motion for her to come and join the group of people at his table. Weaving her way through the tables she smiled gratefully to the silver haired ninja, inwardly relieved at how the chatter began to pick up again. Sliding into the only empty chair at the table, she muttered a word of thanks to the masked ninja before glancing around to see who his companions were.

Some of them she could recognize from their descriptions in the various bingo books that she had collected through the years. The man in green spandex with the large eyebrows could be no other than Maito Gai, a ninja who's Taijutsu skills were nearly legendary. Sipping on a beer was Uchiha Sasuke, age 15, last remaining survivor of the Uchiha Clan and a member of Leaf's ANBU. Sitting next to him was the blond haired boy from the ramen shop. After stopping to think for a moment, Ari recalled a name for the smiling, whiskered face... Uzumaki Naruto, also 15. The girl at his side was the same one whom he had been with earlier. She was a pretty girl, obviously in love with Naruto. Arianna couldn't place her face, even after mentally running through all of Leaf's most well known ninjas. The girl had the white eyes of the Hyuga Clan, but the only Hyuga that she had ran into in the books was a male, age 17, Hyuga Neji, who didn't seem to be at the table.

There were others seated that she recognized from the bingo books as they introduced themselves; Genma, Anko, and Izumo. And still others that she hadn't run across yet; Sakura, who was obviously trying to get Sasuke's attention and arguing loudly with a blonde whom she called "Ino-Pig."

It was a little overwhelming, being around so many new people at once and only the fact that a hurried escape would be a negative impact on the impending negotiations kept the girl sitting where she was.

"So..." Genma smiled at the new comer as he caught her eye, "Arianna, you know our Kakashi?"

Ari nodded, "Yes. I met him while he was on a mission, about ten years ago."

"A mission, eh?" The ninja smirked at Kakashi, the toothpick in his mouth jumping at his words, "Could this kunoichi be the reason why you were missing for four months? I don't blame you one bit."

Kakashi just shook his head at his friend's teasing. The waitress came by with another round and Ari took a beer gratefully, sipping at the ice cold alcohol, content with just watching everyone talk and relax, all the while too aware of the ninja sitting next to her.

Time passed and the drinks kept flowing. Genma had long since stopped trying to entice the Dream ninja and had moved on to some other conquest. Somewhere between the third round and the fourth, he had slipped out with a pretty Chuunin on his arm. Naruto and Hinata left soon after, Hinata quite a bit more sober than her blond lover. Last call was called and finally the party seemed to be breaking up. Standing up, Arianna left some money on the table to pay for her drinks. There had been five rounds, and yet, she had drank only perhaps two of the beers she was given. It seemed that nursing the beer wasn't allowed in Leaf Village, not with this group. Still mostly sober, she said good night to Gai, who was arguing with Anko and Sasuke about something which she had lost track of twenty minutes ago, and walked out with Kakashi.

Kakashi had also left more than half of his drinks untouched, and instead of saying good night right there in front of the bar, like he really should have, the ninja turned to his companion and asked, "Want to go for a walk?"


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Usual disclaimer applies... don't own Naruto... blah blah blah.

* * *

They left the bar and walked in silence, Arianna matching her strides to Kakashi's effortlessly, as though they had walked this way earlier that day, instead of ten years ago. It didn't take long for Kakashi to take her out of the area that she had explored earlier, and onto new streets. They left the main streets of town and Ari followed him down a well worn path, into a practice field, not unlike those that she had left behind in the Dream Country.

It was in the middle of this clearing that they stopped, Ari looking at Kakashi out of the corner of her eye. Clearing her throat softly, she spoke, breaking the silence that stretched between them, "I really like your friends. I can see why you fought so hard to come back here."

A smile crossed Kakashi's face, Ari could tell by the way his eye lit up. "Yeah." Silence settled between them again, a comfortable, easy silence. The two ninjas stood side by side, each one caught up in their own thoughts. Stepping out towards the various training equipment, the Dream ninja rested her hand against what appeared to be a tree trunk with dowels sticking out of it at various heights, spread out around the round base.

"We have one of these. I haven't had a chance to train with it in ages though." Putting weight on her hand, she spun the trunk, moving out of the way as the dowels spun with it. "We used it to improve agility." She felt, more than heard Kakashi as he moved behind her. Biting her bottom lip lightly, she stopped the trunk before using both hands to make it spin faster, the dowels a blur of wood. All that could be heard was the air passing over the moving dummy. "We never had this many 'branches' though. I don't think I'd be able to go long without getting hit upside the head tonight. Maybe I'll try it tomorrow." She was talking too much, nerves getting to her. Her thoughts kept returning to the silent ninja who was standing too close to her. Spinning on her heel, she tilted her head to the side. "What are you thinking, Kakashi?"

Slowly, as though her voice was pulling him out of his thoughts, Kakashi reached out, his fingers taking hold of one of the strips of cloth of her shirt, keeping well away from the bladed edges. "Are you any better at controlling these?" He asked, fingers rubbing against the smooth fabric.

"A lot better. Actually. I've spent a lot of my time working on finite control. Care to see?" Her fingers moved towards the silver, crescent shaped pin on her shoulder, used to hold the fabric in place and out of her way.

"I think I'd like that." Kakashi pulled his kunai out of its hidden sheathe and stood at a ready position.

A smile crossed Arianna's lips as she released the cloth from its hold, letting the strips of razor edged fabric to drop onto the ground. A touch of chakra spread over the cloth and they raised up around her, a dozen strips of blue cloth, silver edges flashing in the moonlight. "En garde, Kakashi."

They met with the sound of metal striking metal, Kakashi's kunai and the bladed edges of her cloth, the Copy Ninja moving at a speed which Ari was hardly prepared for. She followed him with her ear and eye, barely moving out of the way of his second strike as she wrapped one of the cloths around his wrist, yanking his kunai down. Disengaging, they came at it again and again, blocking, punching, dodging and by unspoken agreement, only taijutsu was used.

She used the cloth just as he expected she would; exclusively for blocking and trying to trip him up. The fight lasted nearly an hour, the two testing out the limits of each other in a silence broken only by the sounds of heavy breathing and flesh hitting flesh.

Arianna lost sight of Kakashi for no longer than a heartbeat, but in that time he had positioned himself behind her, his kunai pressing against her throat lightly. "Game's up, kunoichi." She could feel his lips through his mask as he whispered low in her ear, his voice bringing a shiver up her spine. Closing her eyes, she let her body relax against him, just enough to keep him off guard as she focused a steady stream of chakra up one of the twelve cloths that wrapped itself around his legs. She was surprised that he couldn't feel the chakra as it worked its way up his clothing, towards the mask that he wore. One strip of cloth wrapped around his arm, pulling his kunai away from her throat just enough for her to turn around to face him. Her eyes flashed with triumph as the chakra behind him allowed her to manipulate his mask enough to have it slide down his face, his headband falling down after.

Kakashi just stared at the dark haired ninja as his headband and mask fell from his face, revealing the strong jaw line and full lips that had haunted Ari's dreams for years. "I guess you have learned a few new tricks." was all he said as she released his arm so he could resheathe the kunai.

Ari didn't answer, but just ran her fingers along the underside of his jaw, her eyes staring up into his unabashedly. Her fingers trailed across his face, brushing his lips before moving to rest at the nape of his neck. Kakashi's hands moved to rest on either side of her hips, his fingers tightening slightly at the feel of her light caresses. The years had been kind to him. Ari thought as she committed his touch to memory. He was almost thirty, but still looked like he did the day that she dragged him into her home. The only thing that worried her was the haunted look to his gaze.

"Kakashi..." she whispered, brushing his cheek lightly with her hand. "Why do you continue to hide? The past is dead and you don't need to carry it with you anymore."

Kakashi felt as though she had just thrown a bucket of cold water over him. With a barely audible sigh, he pushed her away from him, while at the same time taking a step back. He forced his voice to be cool, almost cold as he spoke, his face a mask of indifference. "You should go. It's late and you have a long day tomorrow." He bent down and picked up his headband and mask from the ground, putting them on in their normal positions.

She was hurt, and it showed as she stood there, wavering. "Kakashi...?" She started, reaching out to touch him.

"Good night Arianna." With a poof of smoke, he was gone.

Cursing herself silently, the female ninja took her time replacing the strips of fabric to their rightful place over the skintight black shirt she was wearing, only sticking herself three times with the pin. With a heavy step she started her walk back to the village, unaware of the saddened gaze that followed her until she was out of sight.

* * *

Arianna didn't sleep well that night, too busy thinking about the conversation in the training field and when the sun broke over the horizon, she was already up and stretching, preparing her protesting muscles for the practice ahead. She remembered little about Chiko, only that Teijo had been working on getting him faster at his seals and keep him from getting so shaken mid-jutsu. She would have to remember that for the next day.

An hour later found both her and the young, brown eyed boy in the same field that her and Kakashi had their fight the previous night. "Okay Chiko." She said, looking at the boy as she hooked her thumbs under her belt. "Yumekage says that you're still having trouble with your Genjutsu. Teijo won't be here with Akira and Alita for another couple hours, so let's try to impress them with your progress." She slumped a little, tilting her head to the side. She had never had students of her own, going straight to ANBU as soon as she could, so she really didn't know how to begin.

Luckily, Chiko knew this. "Maybe I should start by showing you where exactly I'm at...?" He suggested hesitantly. At Ari's nod, he began the first set of seals.

And another hour passed as they worked on the various illusions that were Chiko's specialty. _It's not that he needs help, he just needs a little more confidence._ She thought, watching as the boy finished the last set of seals. "Very good Chiko. You're doing much better. Think you can do it while under pressure?" At his nod, she pulled out a handful of sebon needles. "Then, stop me."

She jumped into the air, throwing her sebon one at a time as she tried to rattle the timid boy. At first she was sure that Chiko wasn't going to make it, that instead he was going to try to turn and run. _What has Teijo been teaching these kids...?_ But she was surprised, pleasantly, as he bit his bottom lip slightly, his hands moving into the complicated set of seals that would hold her off. _W...wait, these aren't the same seals..._ She tried to stop but it was too late, he had already completed the jutsu. Mirrors grew out from all sides of her, even surrounding her from above and below. Eyes widening, Ari threw three sebon at one of the wavering mirrors, only to have the small weapons fly through it. Detecting a motion out of the corner of her eye, the woman turned, only to find the sebon flying towards her from another mirror. She spun towards the side, letting the sebon fly into the ground where she was standing.

From outside of the mirrors, she heard Chiko call out as he finished the jutsu completely, "Demon-Mirrors no Jutsu." The mirrors solidified and Ari realized that now it wasn't the mirrors that were moving, but things inside of the mirrors. Picking up the three sebon, she tried to throw them at the walls of her prison, only to have them hit harmlessly off of the glass. The walls seemed to be closing in on her, and as she spun around, images began appearing in the surfaces.

_Kakashi pulled her towards him while at the same time pulling down his mask. Ari fell into his smile as she leaned up to kiss him soundly, like she had been wanting to for years. The smile turned into an expression of mingled shock and pain as the blade slid into her chest, Kakashi's hand moving it._

Stop.

_Her house was burning, the city was in flames, and it was all her fault. She should have stopped Marisu sooner. She stepped over the dead bodies of some of her fellow ninja, unable to stop, knowing that if she did she wouldn't start up again. The eyes of the dead stared accusingly at her. Everywhere she looked were her friends... dead... staring... accusing. _

Stop.

_She was running to Shina, cloth blades and kunais flying from her hands, slashing, fighting. There was death and killing all around, soot from the fires that the enemy had lit. She raced towards where she knew the old woman would be, but instead of being met by Shina's calm and steady presence, she felt terror building with every step. Reaching the front yard of the Yumekage's private building, she was faced with the most terrible of sights. Shina's head was spiked in front of the building, the calm gaze glazed over in death, and still it accused her. Standing, dressed in the robes and hat of the Yumekage was Marisu, laughter falling from her throat as she pointed behind Ari. She turned, only to see Kakashi, crucified in a field, crows coming to pick at his still living flesh. Hatred, pain, and sadness mixed in his one visible eye as he watched Ari. _

Stop.

"STOP!" Ari screamed, holding her head in her hands. She began to sob, the sounds of the images in the mirrors overlapping each other, mixing into a symphony of pain and suffering. The knowledge that each one of the pains came because of her beat at her, nearly physical blows from the impact of it. Somewhere, in the far back of her mind, she knew that the images weren't real, but that didn't seem to matter right then. They were real enough to her.

The mirrors spun faster, bringing up new images, making the ANBU relive the worst parts of her life and making up new ones. Countless times she betrayed the ones she loved, and was betrayed. She saw Leaf Village attacking the villages of Illusion and Moon, slaughtering everyone she cared about, with the Copy Ninja in the lead, a sadistic grin on his face. She saw Marisu and the 2nd Yumekage return. Countless betrayals, countless deaths, and each time, it was her fault.

There was a commotion outside, but it didn't matter. There was no outside. Dimly, as through from another room, or another life, she heard Teijo yell at Chiko to stop the jutsu, but she couldn't tell which Teijo was real. They were all there, and all screaming. His face was reflected in a dozen mirrors, showing exquisite tortures and unimaginable pain.

Just when Ari felt that her mind couldn't take it anymore, a familiar voice called out, "KAI!"

The mirrors fell instantly as soon as the chakra was cut, dropping onto the ground and breaking into thousands of tiny shards which melted into the earth. Kakashi stepped into the small space that was previously blocked off, only to find Arianna huddled on the ground, her hands clamped over her ears, tears streaming down her face. Kakashi gently crouched down and picked her up, surprised when she tried to pull away from him. "You're not in any position to walk right now." Outwardly he was as call as ever, but inside he was as worried as he ever got. An anxious Teijo and a scared and remorseful Chiko were instantly at the Copy Ninja's side, looking down at the kunoichi. Kakashi favored them with a hard look, "What happened to her?"

"I...I... didn't mean to..." Chiko stammered, reaching out to run his hand over a lock of her black hair. "She just... I did the first thing that came to mind..."

Teijo laid a hand on Chiko's head gently. "It's alright Chiko. She knows you didn't mean to. Now go join Akira and Alita and get some taijutsu training, I need to speak to Kakashi."

"Yes sensei." Chiko ran as fast as he could to the red headed twins who were his teammates. A moment or two of dialogue and then the three were trading punches and kicks.

Teijo watched the three for a moment before turning back to Kakashi. "She startled him and he used the Demon-Mirror Jutsu on her. He should know better than to use it on someone who's not prepared to break it." Kakashi raised an eyebrow and Teijo sighed silently, "It's a Genjutsu that uses one's own chakra against them. Mirrors trap the victim and it feeds off of their insecurities and fears in order to create vivid images of... well... unpleasant realities. Once it starts, the jutsu actually feeds on the victim's chakra till it's gone, till it's disrupted, or until the victim goes insane."

"Sounds dirty."

"Very. Usually it doesn't take hold as fast as it seemed to with her. You might want to take her to the Yumekage, or at least someplace where she'll feel safe. It leaves behind some really nasty scars."

Kakashi nodded. He cradled Ari's form closer to him and ran back to the village, the sobbing ninja held bridal style in his arms. _I wonder what she saw..._

_

* * *

_

A/N: I promise that I'll have some plot in this soon. (grin) I am going somewhere with this. I figure the next chapter or two will bring up the main conflict, and I know what that is, even if I don't know how I'm going to end it. The story's tending to write itself.

Also, thank you for your reviews. beams I feel so loved, it's my first Naruto fanfic and it's being well received so far.

Thank you Loaned for your enthusiasm and all your reviews. I don't know if I'm going to put together Sasuke and Neji... I don't think Sasuke's good enough for Neji... then again they both are kinda... really... arrogant. (ponders)

Oh, and this takes place when Naruto and 'em are 15, and Kakashi's 29, he was 19 when him and Ari met up the first time.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Arianna had stopped crying by the time Kakashi had made it to the medical building. He followed one of the medic nins in training to an empty room, depositing the sniffling ninja on the bed. "Sakura." He said to the fifteen year old who had been his student only three years before. The Chuunin looked up at her name. She was in the middle of assessing Arianna's near non-existent wounds, wondering why Kakashi had brought such a minor case to the hospital, when all the woman had were cuts and bruises.

Kakashi waited until he had Sakura's attention before continuing, "Go and get Tsunade and the Yumekage, tell them that Arianna's been hit with a Genjutsu and needs attention."

The pink haired ninja nodded and left the room to find the two kages. As soon as she was gone, Kakashi moved to sit next to Ari on the bed. "Ari?" The female ninja was sitting with her back against the wall, her knees pulled up to her chest, arms clinging to them tightly. Kakashi looked as though he was going to speak again, but before he could, the door slammed open.

In stepped Tsunade, with Shina only a half step behind her. "This had better be good Kakashi. What's the problem?" She looked at Arianna, who looked almost fully composed by this time.

Shina was immediately at her ninja's side, hand moving to gently push a lock of hair out of the girl's face. "What happened, Ari?"

A poor attempt at a wry smile crossed her face, "Got caught up in Chiko's Genjutsu. I'll be fine." The last comment was for Tsunade, who was frowning over her head, the woman's blue chakra visible as she checked her over for any injuries not immediately visible.

Shina frowned, "What is Teijo teaching those kids?" She was beginning to get angry, this wasn't how things were supposed to be.

"It's not his fault Shina." Arianna winced as Tsunade began prodding the bruises that she had gotten the night before while fighting with Kakashi. "I told Chiko to neutralize my attacks. He did really well. I was taken by surprise. I'll be fine. Really."

Her words did little to ease Shina's frown. The Yumekage tilted Ari's head up to stare into her eyes. "Hm. You'll live. You really shouldn't have gotten caught up in it. You know better than that. Something bothering you, hmm?" She chuckled dryly as Ari wrenched her face away from her hand, batting her away. "Very well. Kakashi, will you take my prodigy to her room? I'll send someone by with something to help her with the after effects." She glanced at Tsunade who shrugged at her. "There's nothing we can do here. She'll shake it herself."

The Hokage nodded, "So, back to business?" A grin crossed her face.

"Of course. I'll buy the next bottle."

The two women disappeared from the room. As soon as they were out of sight, Arianna climbed off the bed, looking around before staring over Kakashi's shoulder, not wanting to look him in the eye. "You don't have to worry about taking me. I know my own way."

Kakashi shrugged, as though it was all the same to him. But when the kunoichi pulled herself up straight and walked out of the hospital room, he followed. He followed her to the inn and to the door to her room without saying a word. The Copy Ninja ignored the curious eyes of the other Dream Ninjas who were loitering in the hallway, as though they had no where else of any importance to be. The seemed to be anxious to see how this scene would unfold.

Ari opened the door to her room and stared into the sparsely decorated bedroom for a long moment before stepping in, preparing to shut the door behind her when Kakashi's hand moved to keep the door from closing. She stared up at him, one eyebrow lifted as though to ask what he thought he was doing.

"Are you sure you're going to be alright?" Kakashi asked, concern breaking through the cold facade he normally wore.

"Yeah... I just need some sleep."

"If you need anything. Let me know." He reached out and brushed a lock of hair out of her face, his action mirroring Shina's, before turning to leave. He didn't get two steps down the hallway before his curiosity got the better of him. "Ari. What did you see, in the mirrors?"

She fought the tears that wanted to spring up again and Kakashi could almost kick himself for bringing the topic up. But she was a shinobi, and taking a deep breath, Ari pushed away the painful memories. "Hell." She whispered. "It showed me the many faces of hell."

He tried to get a better idea of the types of things that she saw, of what to expect, but she quietly shut the door on him. Scratching the back of his head, Kakashi just shrugged at the two ANBU who were watching him before strolling off. _A little training and then a drink sounds good to me._

_

* * *

_

At the bar later that evening, Kakashi slid into his normal and accustomed place between Asuma and Gai. "So my Eternal Rival has returned!" Gai exclaimed, slapping Kakashi on the back. It seemed that the Green Beast of Konoha had been here a while already. "You are already behind. Waitress!" he called, flagging by a pretty, brown haired woman, "Some drinks for my friend!"

Kakashi shook his head and lifted a brow. "What's up with him?"

Genma shrugged and spoke around the sebon that took the place of his toothpick. "No clue. He's been here all night. So, where's that pretty little thing that you introduced us to last night? She decide she had enough of your ugly mug?"

He thought about Ari's odd behavior and paused before shaking her head, "Nah, she found out that you were going to be here and ran the other way." Genma laughed and leaned back in his chair, the front two legs lifting up off the floor.

"Careful or you're going to end up falling flat on your ass." Genma tilted his head back and smiled his most captivating smile as he saw that it was Ari standing over him.

Kakashi frowned as he realized that from the angle that Genma was leaning, he could almost see up the bottom of Ari's black shirt, which was cut to bare her mid drift. Apparently that realization came to Genma too, as his smile got wider, but before he could do much more than think about peeking, Ari lifted one hand and covered his eyes with it, stepping back a little before pushing down with that hand, upsetting the precious balance that kept his chair from falling backwards. All the ninjas laughed as Genma fought to keep his chair upright, Ari releasing her hold on his head.

Smiling sweetly at the jounin, Ari slid into the chair that Gai jumped up to offer her. Whether or not the green spandex clad ninja meant for her to take the seat as he jumped up and promptly fell over, passing out, she couldn't tell, but she wasn't going to let the opportunity to sit down pass her by. She leaned down and ruffled Gai's hair as best as she could. "Poor guy... seems like he had a day as rough as mine." She murmured, staring down at the sleeping Jounin.

Asuma sighed and stood, kneeling down to drag Gai up. "I guess I'm taking sleeping beauty home tonight. I might be back later on, but Kurenai's expecting me over at her place tonight, so I might just head on over there." He grinned, throwing Gai's arm over his shoulder as he shifted the mostly incoherent ninja into a comfortable position. Waving good night to everyone, Asuma headed out, Gai on his arm.

Genma straightened his vest and smiled at Arianna before leaning forward a little to talk across the table at the beautiful woman. "So what's a girl like you doing with a guy like that?" He motioned with his sebon at Kakashi, who was deep in conversation with the waitress.

Leaning forwards as well, in order to look straight into his brown eyes, Ari answered, her voice solemn and her face serious. "He followed me home one day, and Yumekage said I could keep him. Had to keep him outside though, wasn't housebroken."

Genma didn't know what he expected for an answer, but that definitely wasn't it. He laughed, the sound bringing a smile to Ari's lips and making Kakashi look over at them with a frown before turning his attention back to the brown haired, large breasted woman who was quite obviously interested in some off hours alone time. Ari couldn't look at them for too long without having to acknowledge the burning jealousy in the pit of her stomach, so instead she watched the man who was sitting across the table from her.

"Tell me, what is it about him that makes women fall at his feet all the time?" Ari raised an eyebrow and Genma grinned, "I could spend all night working on a woman, when all Kakashi has to do is look at them. I want to know what I'm doing wrong."

Arianna couldn't help but laugh out loud. Even with the limited time that she's had with the Jounin, she could tell that he didn't have any problems getting all the female attention that he wanted. "Well..." she drawled, shifting her body so she could look at Kakashi's back. She knew he could hear them, he'd have to be deaf not to. "It could have something to do with his hair. There's just something about it that makes you want to run your fingers through it. Or it could be his relaxed and laid back attitude. I know a lot of girls who like that.." He was listening, she could tell by the way his body straightened hat he was trying really hard to keep his attention on keeping himself out of the waitress's bed, where she really thought he belonged. Amused endlessly by his reaction, she came up with a few other traits, embellishing on them as the words came to her.

Kakashi finally got rid of the waitress, after sending "help me" looks over to Naruto and Hinata, who were sitting across the room. Naruto had fun, pretending not to understand what Kakashi's problem was. It wasn't until Hinata had a few words with the blond haired Jounin that he finally got the hint. Suddenly he was yelling for the waitress, refusing any and all of the other help, it had to be _that_ waitress. The brown haired vixen left muttering, slipping Kakashi her number and telling him that she's available anytime she's off work, all he needed to do was ask.

"... but what I reaaally think gets them is the mask." Oh boy, they were still talking about him. He fought the urge to turn around, and instead kept his back towards the two, still feigning indifference. "There's just something about a mystery that makes a woman do almost anything to solve it. And you have to admit, Kakashi's face is definitely a mystery that would be fun to solve." Her voice was teasing and when their drinks finally arrived, she took a long drink of the beer that Genma ordered for her.

"And what about you?" He asked, curious.

"What about me?"

"Are you caught up in the mystery?"

"Nah. I've already solved it." With that, the conversation was over and Kakashi felt it safe enough to turn back around.

"So." The Copy Ninja said to his two companions. "Did I miss much?"

* * *

For the second night in a row, Ari was walking with Kakashi alone after spending a few hours in the bar with him and his friends. It was almost scary, how well she fit in this place and how easy it would be to assimilate herself into the daily life of the Leaf Village. She mentioned this to Kakashi who just nodded, agreeing with her.

After the conversation about the mask, Naruto and Hinata moved tables to sit with them. Of course, this meant when Sasuke came in, and later Sakura and Ino, both just getting off of work at their respective jobs, they all had to join at the table. Conversation flowed freely over the table and as she listened to the ninjas talking bout people she'd never met, and remembering events that she never shared, the Dream Ninja had gotten restless. After borrowing a pencil from one of the bar's waitresses, she had acquired a handful of coasters. Using the small scraps of heavy paper, she spent the rest of her time that evening sketching hers and Kakashi's companions.

Of course when Naruto realized that something other than his story was occupying her mind, he had to see what she was doing. And when he saw the half finished sketch of a side profile of Hinata smiling, he had to draw attention to it.

"_Oh wow! That's Hinata!" The loud, blonde ninja exclaimed, making everyone at the table stop their conversations to look at him. He was pointing down at a circular scrap of paper, a coaster used to keep the drinks off of the tables. Arianna looked embarrassed as he started making a fuss about it, holding the picture up and looking between it and his girlfriend, "Wow! That's really good! It looks just like her! You never said you could draw!" _

_Ari took the coaster back and laid it back down, trying to ignore the blush that tried to paint her cheeks red. "No one ever asked."_

_"Me next. Please? Pretty Pleease?" His voice was almost a whine and she had to laugh, nodding._

"_Alright. You next. Go ahead and continue to talk, I'll draw." He had tried to go back to talking like he was before, but just couldn't keep himself from posing. Finally she had a perfect mental image of the energetic young man. Before the end of the night, she had pressed a pair of coasters into his hand, both the picture of Hinata and one of him, in the middle of a deep belly laugh, his headband slipping down over his eyes. _

The rest of the coasters were sitting on the table still, or they were, when she left. For as long as she had been a ninja, she'd been drawing. First because the insomnia wouldn't let her sleep. She had a hard time dealing with training and the truth behind the glamorous life of a ninja, and in the early hours of the morning, she had taught herself to draw what she saw. This talent was almost invaluable in missions. After years of drawing the trees outside of her window, or people as they passed by, she had developed the hobby into a full blown talent. If she could see something and remember it, she could draw it.

She had a book of sketches that she carried with her on every mission. It was her conscience book, with every kill she had added another sketch, another admission of death on her soul. That book was buried under all of her ANBU equipment, back in the inn.

Which was in no stretch of imagination their destination tonight. She didn't ask Kakashi where he was taking her, and he didn't offer any information. She was content with merely walking along side of him, she'd follow him into Hell if he asked.

"So." He said, looking at the black haired ninja at his side. Her hair was up tonight, braided back except for the bits that framed her strong face. Reaching over, he tugged on a lock of hair, making her look at him strangely. "I followed you home one night?"

She laughed, nodding, "And I had to put you outside because you weren't housebroken." She tried her best to look innocent.

Kakashi pulled her into his arms, lowering his face to hers, his lips brushing over hers through his mask with each of his next words. "Follow me home tonight."

She stared up at him, her lips curling into a smile as she heard the unspoken invitation in his voice. Raising herself up on her toes, she kissed him through his mask, "Just as long as you realize that I refuse to sleep outside."

He chuckled and took her hand in his, leading her towards his apartment, "I think I can work around that."

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A/N: Woot. I haven't decided if I was going to write a lemon for this fic... but if I were, this would be the perfect time to. ponders Depends on how bored I get at work, I guess. grin

Thank you for the reviews. They really go far in making me feel loved and give me that little push to keep going and get my chapters out faster.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its Characters... no matter how much I want to.

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Neither one of them slept much that night. When they weren't taking the time to explore each other's bodies in the most intimate of ways, they were either eating or talking. Or in Kakashi's case, listening. In the aftermath of one of the most exhilarating experiences of love making that she had ever had, Ari lay on Kakashi's chest, her head nuzzling into the crook of his neck. Her body was sprawled over his and she was totally relaxed for the first time in what felt like ever.

Kakashi took full advantage of the situation, waiting until she was mostly asleep and unguarded before asking his questions. "Ari... What did you see in the Mirrors?" He didn't know why this was so important to him, but ever since he happened upon the Dream ninja's shaking and crying form, the question burned at him.

He could feel her try to stiffen up, to pull away, and instinctively he knew if he let her, he'd never get the answer. Running his hands up and down her back, he held her close to him, his face turning down to press his lips against the top of her head. Kakashi didn't press her, and instead just let Ari decide if she was going to tell. Ultimately, it was her choice, and all he could do was provide comfort and hold her.

Finally, after nearly an hour of waiting, Ari began to whisper about the many different visions that she had while inside of the influence of the jutsu. Although most of the mind numbing fear that she had experienced had passed, Ari found her voice shaking as she finally broke down and told him what he wanted to know.

After she had finished, he held her and then eased away the pain of the memories with his skilled hands and the feel of his body on hers. Little else was really said, most of the words that passed between them nothing more than whispers in the dark.

When Arianna awoke, she was alone. Stretching, the ninja climbed out of the bed, padding silently to the bathroom. Throwing on the shower, the woman stepped into the hot water, letting it cascade down her well loved body. A smile played over her lips as she realized that in all of her twenty-five years, she had never felt so alive. Singing an old love song that her mother had taught her, Ari took great care with washing her body, filling her senses with Kakashi's scent. Once the water began to cool around her, she shut it off, twisting her hair in order to get rid of the excess water before stepping out of the stall. She dried her body with a towel before raiding Kakashi's bedroom for some clean clothing. His pants were too long for her, but she took one of the thin strips of fabric that she always carried along with her and cut it in a few pieces using it to tie the bottoms of the pants at the ankle, giving it an appearance of not being as big as they really are. His shirt also hung loose on her, and she pushed up the sleeves liking the feel of the loose clothing. Tying her hair with the last piece of the cloth, she wandered out of the bedroom and got her first good look at Kakashi's house.

It was small, that was her first impression, and almost sterile, not cosy like the cabin she left behind in Dream Country. Kakashi seemed to have no interest in making the place more homelike, as he had just the bare necessities; a few tables, a few chairs, a couch, all comfortable and well chosen, yet, there was still something missing. Against one wall was his trophy case and bookshelf, and a door slightly smaller than the others in the apartment opened into a closet where he undoubtably kept most of his equipment and uniforms. The kitchen was modern, with all the appliances needed to make one's life easier, but like the rest of the living area, it was spartan in its simplicity. There were no pictures or tapestries on the walls, no rugs on the hardwood floors, no color to take one's eyes off of the harshness of the expanse of white walls.

Feeling almost uncomfortable in the sterile environment, Ari walked over towards the kitchen, jumping up gingerly to sit on the counter as she watched the silver haired ninja cook breakfast.

"I figured you'd be hungry when you woke up." Kakashi said as he scrambled up some eggs.

"I am kind of hungry." She replied, leaning back against the cupboards. "Is there anything you need me to do?"

Kakashi shook his head, "I'm almost done. You can get the plates though."

Arianna slid off of the counter top and went searching through the cabinets for the plates. Finding them right above where she was sitting, the woman grabbed two of the heavy earthenware dishes and set them on the counter for Kakashi to dish out the eggs onto. Grabbing another pan from the back burners of the stove, he put a few pieces of bacon on each plate before handing Arianna hers. "There's bread next to the toaster and juice in the fridge." He said as he maneuvered by her, setting his plate on the small card table in the area designated as the 'dining room.'

Ari busied herself with putting bread into the toaster and pouring juice into two glasses. Once her toast was ready, she took her plate, and their juice to the table, sitting in one of the empty chairs before handing him the glass of juice. The intimacy of the meal didn't escape her. It felt too cozy, too right, sitting here with Kakashi, eating breakfast. Clearing her throat softly, she spoke to break the silence, "I need to go check in with Yumekage. The Chuunin exam starts in two days, if I'm not mistaken, and she might have something she wants me to do before then."

He nodded and they continued eating, nothing else being said between them. The silence was a comfortable one, and it lulled her into a sense of security and well being. They finished the meal and together they washed the few dishes that they dirtied. Once that was finished, Ari gathered up her dirty clothing, not bothering to change, she would get back into her own clothes when she got to her room.

They left the apartment, Kakashi shutting the door behind them, but not bothering to lock it. They walked side by side down the street, mostly silent, with a few comments passed back and fourth between them. He stayed with her until they reached the hotel in which the Dream Ninjas were housed. Ari looked down at Kakashi from the top step. "So..." She said, unsure of what to say. Their friendship had changed in the past night, and neither one knew exactly what to make of it. "I'll see you later?"

Kakashi heard both that question and the unasked one behind it: _are we still friends?_ Nodding his head Kakashi slid in his hands into the pockets of his pants.

"I'll be at the bar tonight. I hope to see you there." Ari smiled and stepped through the door, closing it softly behind her. There was nothing out of the ordinary in the main room of the cozy inn, but something made the hair on the back of Ari's neck stand on end. Shaking the feeling off, the ninja climbed the stairs to the second floor, taking each step two at a time.

Just as she reached the top, a loud, angry voice yelled out, "There she is! She's the one!"

Arianna looked around at the group of people in the hallway. The Dream Ninjas were standing to one side of the staircase, and standing opposite of them were a handful of ninjas from Leaf Village. Everyone wore the same identical serious looks on their faces, including the Yumekage and the Hokage, who were standing between the two groups on their respective sides.

"Wha...?" Ari asked, looking around from one group to the other. The man who yelled was still standing in one spot, pointing at her with one long finger. His eyes were pure white, with no pupils, marking him as a member of the Hyuga family. He wasn't anyone that she immediately recognized, to her relief.

The man shook with anger, turning his gaze to the Hokage, who was looking at Ari with a troubled expression. "She's the one who tried to murder me, I demand that you arrest her at once!"


End file.
